I like to drink Tea. I drink it in the morning, lunchtime, evenings and everywhere in between...

The problem is at 1am in the morning I often find myself staring into the obsess of my soul (which I dont mind - but if Im trying to get up at 5am it is not ideal)...

How can I drink tea throughout the day and NOT spend the evenings unable to sleep???

Ive read a couple of things on this point1) 80% of caffeine is extracted in the first 30 seconds - in a gong fu styled ceremony, for the first steep/wash of the leaves do it for 45 seconds then discard and continue to drink. 2) Place a spoon full of sugar under your tongue just before you get into bed3) give yourself a talking too e.g. 'Ive had a natural substance, that's good for me. Its natural to feel this way, just relax and enjoy the feeling'4) dont drink at night5) Roasted tea has less caffeine than greener tea

What do you guys do at night? Not drink? Or does caffeine not really affect you? Do you have any low/no caffeine teas for the evenings?

looking for tips or ideas to keep drinking gong fu style throughout the evening and still being able to sleep so I can wake up and keep going the next day!

I am very lucky as caffeine does not really affect me. My mum however is extremely sensitive to caffeine, with racing heart and sleepless nights as the symptoms. I recommended hojicha to her and she loves it... and the best thing is that it seems to not affect her at all. So I would recommend giving hojicha a try, with Ippodo being the tried and tested supplier.

Well, it depends on how tea affect you. After some time, your tolerence increase and you would be able to sleep better. Sometimes, I have a 8 hours continous tea tasting until 3am in the morning and knock off to sleep instantly.

sdsgibb wrote:How can I drink tea throughout the day and NOT spend the evenings unable to sleep???

When in a state of sufficient sleep deprivation, it often works just fine. But when not.....

sdsgibb wrote:

debunix wrote:Past a certain point, I will continue a gongfu session, but won't start a new one. Or, I might concoct a caffeine-free herbal mix and brew that up.

What sort of herbal mix are we talking? Brewing in a gaiwan?

Most of the time when I prepare something herbal, I start with chamomile, which has so many fine bits that I resort to a large glass teapot with a metal strainer insert. As for what herbal mix, I keep a collection of various dried ingredients on hand, things I recognize from the ingredients sections of various teas I've liked or read about in other contexts--chamomile, hibiscus, mint, tulsi (holy basil), citrus peel, rose hips, licorice root, linden flowers, gamro (hydrangea leaf), etc--and mix n' match those based on my mood, perhaps with a bit of whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, cloves) or fresh ingredients (lemon, ginger root, lemon grass, rosemary). It's all pretty whimsical but usually quite tasty, sometimes very much so.

Teaism wrote:Well, it depends on how tea affect you. After some time, your tolerence increase and you would be able to sleep better. Sometimes, I have a 8 hours continous tea tasting until 3am in the morning and knock off to sleep instantly.

It appears to be 4:17 AM, hm. Eh, I'm retired and can catnap all day. Just one more pot, so peaceful, just me and the crickets...

I drink tea all day without consequences, but I think I have my grandpa to thank for that — he insisted I start drinking tea during meals at a relatively young age (probably around the time I started school) to increase my caffeine tolerance.

And I used to drink almost a litre of coke a day (I quit cold-turkey 5 years ago), which I'm sure changed me a bit.

So yes, I think you eventually do just get used to it.

I have very few problems sleeping at night — these days I'm either totally relaxed (tea and yoga before bed), or tipsy and falling asleep standing (as was the case that other night after no-one knows how many drinks I had I actually got home and drank a few cups of tea before bed. Can't remember which type…obviously.)

I have the same problem as you, so I try to drink peppermint tea, rooibos, or something else with no caffeine at night. Sometimes, I'll continue steeping something I've already started, hoping that most of the caffeine is gone after four or five steeps

I have the same problem as you, so I try to drink peppermint tea, rooibos, or something else with no caffeine at night. Sometimes, I'll continue steeping something I've already started, hoping that most of the caffeine is gone after four or five steeps

Which teas do you manage to continue for 4–5 steeps? I find any tea greener than Anxi TGY loses it after the 4th.